Microsoft Technology Center Day of FUN!

Posted by Brittany Greer174.40sc on August 24, 2016

Rosie Riveters is honored to have partnered with Microsoft to develop and deliver a coding project during our February-March 2016 pilot program and to work with the many experienced, dedicated and enthusiastic Microsoft women who gave their time as volunteers and mentors for our programs. Rosie Riveters is constantly working to expose our participants to tangible, relatable, and real experiences that encourage girls to not only better understand STEM as a field, but also see possibilities for themselves as future engineers, computer programmers, and scientists. So when Microsoft invited our participants to the Microsoft Technology Center (MTC) in Reston,VA we enthusiastically said yes!

And when we arrived we were certainly not disappointed.

17 participants from our pilot program arrived at the MTC at 9am on Friday July 22nd eager to learn more about some of the amazing technologies they got to tinker with during our four week pilot after school program. Although excited, none of them we're quite prepared to shoot astroids with their eyes, and move objects on the other side of the room with a flick of their wrist! After an interactive introduction on the latest technologies of the day participants we're given the opportunity to "play" with some of the tech they discussed.

If shooting astroids with their eyes wasn't exciting enough, participants got explore how cutting edge technologies might affect their lives and how they might use them to change the lives of those around them. If a doctor could monitor and log the progress of a patients surgery without using their hands could they reduce the potential for contamination and thus decrease the likelihood of infection? Could the Kinect technology that they used to "ride" waterskis and win Dance Central help stroke victims recover faster?

By engaging with Microsoft technologies and exploring their possibilities participants were able to not only experience the fascinating and innovative tech available today but to dream of what they themselves might be able to create in the future.

Thank you to Microsoft for hosting such a wonderful experience for our participants and for their ongoing sponsorship of Rosie Riveters programs. Special thanks to Heather Harinstein for introducing Rosie Riveters to Microsoft and her never fading enthusiasm for our mission to engage and empower girls with the confidence to try and succeed in STEM.